PiKVM v3 HAT for Raspberry Pi 4

The PiKVM v3 allows for a remote connection via your Raspberry Pi even if the target machine isn't booted! This feature-rich HAT brings powerful tools to your fingertips.

Also available assembled with a 2GB Raspberry Pi.

PiKVM allows you to turn on/off or restart your computer, configure the UEFI/BIOS, and even reinstall the OS using the Virtual CD-ROM or Flash Drive. You can use your remote keyboard and mouse or PiKVM can simulate a keyboard, mouse, and a monitor, which are then presented in a web browser as if you were working on a remote system directly. It’s true hardware-level access with no dependency on any remote ports, protocols or services!

The PiKVM v3 HAT Board is designed to work with the Raspberry Pi 4 and provides the following features:

• Fully open-source software and fine-tuned and pre-configured Linux based OS.
• Access to the server via Web UI or VNC.
• HDMI video capture with extra-low latency using MJPEG or H.264/WebRTC (1080p 50Hz max).
• Keyboard & mouse emulation
• Bootable Virtual CD-ROM & Flash Drive
• Mass storage emulation (i.e., virtual flash drive or CD drive provided by image file saved on PiKVM)
• Ability to simulate “removal and insertion” for USB for above-mentioned devices
• ATX controller via one of the RJ45 ports (allowing to switch power even if the target device is off or operating system hangs)
• An onboard real-time clock for accurate logging.
• HDMI audio capture (hardware-based; software work in progress).
• 5v PWM fan controller
• Health monitoring of the Raspberry Pi.
• USB & RJ-45 serial console
• Control GPIO ports and USB relays from the Web UI.
• And one more thing: It's compatible with Apple computers!

In the box:

• The PiKVM v3 HAT for Raspberry Pi 4
• USB-C bridge board - When unboxing this is between the ATX boards pins and RJ45 connector
• ATX adapter board
• 2x Flat CSI-2 cable
• 7x colourful jumpers
• 4x brass standoffs
• 8x screws
• Wires for connecting the ATX interface to the motherboard

Requirements

To use PiKVM v3, you will need the following things, which are NOT included in the kit:

• Raspberry Pi 4 (any amount of RAM is OK)
• 5.1v 3A power supply with USB-C
• A regular HDMI cable
• USB-C to USB-A cable with DATA lines (for keyboard and mouse emulation)
• Straight Ethernet cable (NOT crossover, to connect the HAT board and ATX board)
• Micro-SD card at least 16 Gb and class 10 is strongly recommended (Check out our 16GB and 32GB cards

Known issues & limitations

• The actual frame rate of the image received via HDMI will depend on the network bandwidth, resolution and the load on the Raspberry Pi. This is usually ~20-24 FPS for 1080p over LAN.
• AIMOS switches are not fully compatible with the video capture device (as with a regular HDMI CSI bridge).
• There may be compatibility issues with some motherboards (such as HP or DELL) which are the same as those that exist with PiKVM v2. Not everything is perfect, but if you have already used PiKVM v2 – our new v3 will work perfectly and please you. If there is no image from the BIOS, you can fine-tune the HDMI settings, but it is possible that the USB keyboard or Mass Storage devices will not be available in the BIOS.
• The most recent stock we received is the PiKVM v3.3 revision.

Upcoming software features

• The audio capture device via HDMI works, but is not currently supported by PiKVM software.
• The fan controller operates at a constant speed but will learn to adjust the speed smoothly in the future.
• Currently, MJPEG is used for video transmission, but you will soon get H.264 support.
• All of these features will be available in one of the future free updates of the operating system.

Resources

• Check out the Pi KVM v3 handbook